As a high-growth start-up, we are constantly striving to push the boundaries and diversify from the average, expected, or typical. To do that, we have to think differently, and constantly trial and test new ways of doing things to learn what works best for us on this growth journey. This is true of how we approach our hiring process here at Virtual Internships.
As we are hiring often, it’s important that we continually look to improve and refine our talent acquisition methods as we strive to push the boundaries of the future of work.
More often than not, hiring processes are shrouded in mystery. Before applying to a company or heading into an interview, the most you can glean from an organization is from their social media or their website, and still, that may not answer your questions to know if it’s definitely a place you want to work.
There are many reasons but here are four…
On the thread of being open, we recently launched our VI-P Guide; a place where you can find out all about #LifeatVI before applying. You can find it on our careers page.
Before diving into writing the job ad and pushing it out across several channels to find that perfect candidate, it’s important to slow down for a moment and think about what impact this person is going to make and how they will be important to the company.
They say ‘working for a start-up is like flying a rocket ship while you’re still building it.’ So first things first, we think strategically about who this person will be, how they will shape the growth of the company, and what impact they will have.
Our hiring managers will then do a deep dive on the responsibilities this person will have, what skills we will require them to have coming into the role, their career journey, and most importantly, their motivations for joining us.
We look at the roles out there that are similar to this role. We look at the skills required, the different career journeys to this role, any qualifications gained, and the responsibilities. We benchmark the role we are looking for against a number of other roles to make sure that: 1) we are looking for the right role, and 2) we will attract the right candidate.
This is all done before we even meet with the talent acquisition team to discuss the next steps.
We value meritocracy at Virtual Internships, and it is evident through the rapid career progression of some of our most senior leaders including our COO, Head of Intern Enrollment, and Head of Employability, among many others.
Before we push the job ad out externally, we look internally to see if there is an opportunity for an existing VI-er first.
Before going public, the TA team is briefed and we talk through the different archetypes that we are looking for, the skills this person should possess, and our ideal candidate. It’s then up to our brilliant TA team and hiring managers to begin hunting for the right person.
As a remote-first organization, all of our interviews are done remotely, via video calls using either Zoom or Google Meets.
All applications are channeled through our careers page which is linked to our applicant tracking system. The system enables both the hiring managers and the TA team to have a holistic view of each candidate and the stage they are at so that we can review, assess, progress, book interviews, and discuss candidates all in one place.
If your company does not yet have one of these, we highly recommend Recruitee.
We review each initial application, looking at CVs/resumes and the answers given in applications, and then any skills, motivations, or experience that is relevant to the role and/or Virtual Internships.
We are a fast-scaling start-up so we put a particular value on evidence of an action-orientated and problem-solving mindset (bonus points if this is evident in a person’s application).
Each hiring sequence will differ from one role to role, however, almost every one of our hiring processes will involve an assessment or multiple.
We have three different types:
To help us better review these assessments, we will have specific things we are looking for or scores we expect to see specified prior to beginning the recruitment process.
This stage would be closest to what is known as a ‘culture-fit interview’, something every start-up should have in their hiring process.
This stage is as much for us as it is for the candidate. While we are looking to see how this person would be a good addition to our company, we also want to give the candidate the opportunity to ask any questions they have about our vision, mission, or strategies.
We then ask for references from previous employers to find out a little more about what it’s like to work with them. For the ins and outs of references, read more in our VI-P Guide.
This is where we say yay or nay to the hire!
Our favorite part at VI!
Nothing brings our hiring managers more joy than connecting with a candidate on a video call and talking through our offer and package details.
During this stage, we’ll also share our Culture Deck where you can get a real feel for working at VI. Our Culture Deck guides how we operate as a company and is extremely important. We share this with candidates at this stage so that they can decide if we will be the right fit for them, not just the other way around.
After reading the Culture Deck, it’s up to the candidate to accept the role and we’ll move forward with the logistics.
However, should the candidate decide the role is not for them after reading the Culture Deck then we completely understand. Ultimately, we want the best fit for both parties.
We care about outcomes and results, not where you work or when you work.
Whilst we have our HQ in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, almost everyone at VI works remotely. With a remote workforce growing by the week and based in 25+ countries, we would never expect anyone to work strict hours.
Instead, we are flexible. We understand that some people work best in the morning, and others late at night and into the early hours. As long as you are performing at the level we expect and it does not adversely impact our overall ability to achieve our goals, then when you work is up to you.
All we ask is that you set up your core meetings and be available for any additional ones to be scheduled, then outside of that, it’s up to you.
That’s the beauty of remote work!
How can we expect our company to grow if we are not investing in the people that will be responsible for much of that growth?
At VI, we offer every single employee a budget of up to $500 each year to spend on learning content or platforms that will contribute to their professional growth.
There is no set way in which employees can spend their budget; if you can make a case for it, then it’s yours. Here are some of the courses, tools, and platforms our employees have used their budget before: Linkedin Learning, Coursera, Futurelearn, Blinkist, MentorBox, Google Analytics Certification, Consultative Sales Certification, and more!
As a remote employee, you’ll also have a remote work budget of up to USD70 which you can use each month for things like:
You can read about more perks and benefits as well as our compensation philosophy in our VI-P Guide.
We know that applying for a new job can be daunting, exciting, and everything in between. That’s why we want to prefer transparency so that you are both comfortable and excited about applying to Virtual Internships.
Unlike other companies, our hiring process is not a mystery and you will never be left waiting to hear back from us or wondering what happened to your application.
With this in mind, we make two promises:
At VI, we are committed to creating a diverse, inclusive work environment, whether you work in-office or remotely. We encourage our team to celebrate the importance of a diverse team and acknowledge that having an inclusive work exosystem can be extremely empowering for those that want to be their authentic selves at work.
We want everyone to feel comfortable, happy, and productive at VI.
The same goes for our hiring process. At no point during the recruitment process will factors such as race, gender, ethnicity, or sexual orientation ever be considered in the assessment of your suitability for the role and the company.
If reading this has piqued your interest then head to our careers page to find out more about #LifeatVI through our VI-P Guide, and check out our open roles to find the right fit for you!
Nothing there to suit you yet? Follow us on LinkedIn where we regularly post new open roles.
We’d love to hear your thoughts in response to our very open book on hiring in this age of remote work.
Or, start the conversation on LinkedIn!
We favour transparency at Virtual Internships. Read all about our engineering hiring process, what to expect, and our top tips in this blog!
In July, we launched a virtual hackathon as part of our engineering recruitment process. Read all about how we did it and the benefits here.
Virtual Internships has been nominated for two PIEoneer Awards 2022. Learn more about the impacts of our programs on our alumni here.